Right Before You
by Catgy
Summary: Best friends Evelyn and Cullen are perpetually single. One drunken night, both agree to a dare to see who can go on five dates first, where the winner gets any prize from the other. But sometimes, what you're looking for is right before you... (Inspired by a prompt on otpprompts on tumblr).
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N:** Short, simple, and hopefully sweet! Fluff. :)_

* * *

All it took was a call, and Cullen was at Evelyn's apartment in less than ten minutes. He parked at the street outside her complex, and sprinted up the three flights of stairs to her door.

He knocked. She didn't answer, so he fumbled for her spare key in his pocket – she had a tendency to lock herself out, and Cullen, who conveniently lived the closest of her friends, seemed the most practical candidate. That, and he was the most absurdly _responsible_ person anybody has ever met.

He threw open the door, only to find Evelyn sitting on her couch with a big tub of ice cream, a repeat of _Swords and Shields_ playing on her flat screen. He locked the door behind him.

"Cullen."

"Evie, Maker's breath! What happened?" He sighed as he sat next to her on the messy couch. The coffee table was littered with packets of half-eaten food and unopened food, and an empty bottle of Aqua Magus. Her house was always messy. He hated it, hated how the furniture never matched in the worse possible way, hated how the picture frames on the wall never seemed to be aligned properly and _exactly_. He thumbed his temples for patience.

"I'm tired of being single." Evelyn leant forward, her hand carelessly around a wine glass, which Cullen carefully pried away and set on the coffee table.

"There's nothing wrong with being single." Cullen flushed slightly as he eyed his best friend carefully. He, on the other hand, had been perfectly content with his status as singleton for the past few years.

"I'm 29, damn it. I don't know about _you_ , but my eggs are going bad."

"Your eggs are going –" Cullen groaned. Evelyn Trevelyan had never been one for subtlety. "And I don't have eggs."

"Course you don't. You don't even have a girlfriend."

"That – that doesn't even make sense. Evie, you should sleep. You're drunk."

"I'm not drunk." She shook her head drunkenly, wagging an unsteady finger. "Bernice from downstairs just had a child. She's 29. My age!"

"Evie, please. You're 29. You're _young_. You have plenty of time."

"I can't do this, Cullen. I'm afraid. What if I grow to be an old hag, childless and alone?"

Cullen rubbed his temples. "There's absolutely nothing wrong with being old, childless, and alone. Many people do that out of choice."

"You say that because you haven't had a proper girlfriend in years. _Years_ , Cullen!"

He sighed, and she blinked. "Drink with me."

He shook his head, although his lips twitched up in a slight smile.

"Come on, it's Antivan. You know you want it."

"Antivan Sip-Sip?" He raised an eyebrow.

"The one and only." Evelyn stumbled up, quickly waving away Cullen's concern at her unsteady gait as she made her way to the fridge where she retrieved the bottle of wine.

"You'll get a terrible headache tomorrow, Evie." Cullen reminded her gently as he took a wine glass from her kitchen counter, and quickly grabbed the wine bottle from her to preempt any accidents.

She followed him back to the couch and leant back. He eyed her carefully, and then poured some of the Antivan concoction into his own wine glass, and grabbed a bottle of sweetened tea from the floor and poured that into her wine glass.

"Cullen, I want wine. Not _tea_."

"You've drunk enough," Cullen observed as he took a delightful sip of her Antivan Sip-Sip. True to its namesake, a sip was enough, as the liquid burned in his throat, sent tingles through his stomach – as if his stomach wasn't churning enough already.

"Cullen, please." Evelyn leant close and poured her tea into an empty cup lying on her table, and poured wine into the glass.

"Evie."

"I'm a grown adult."

"I – very well. Just saying you'll feel terrible tomorrow morning. Head-splitting terrible."

"I think that's a risk I'm willing to take." Evelyn took a sip, threw back her head, and laughed. Cullen simply shook his head and chuckled.

They spent the next hour drinking, glass after glass emptied as they prattled on about everything and nothing. Evelyn suddenly sat up straight and faced Cullen, and he felt his face turn pink at the sight of her rosy cheeks, the strands of blond hair hanging free from her messy braid, her t-shirt loose on her slender frame.

"Let's make a bet." She burped, interrupting his thoughts. "We each go on five dates. Whoever finishes five dates first gets a prize from the other."

Cullen shook his head quickly. "No, Evie. I'm drunk, but not _that_ drunk."

"Come on, it'll be fun."

" _Fun_?"

"Winner gets _anything_ from the other."

"No."

" _Anything_ , Cullen." Evelyn leant close, and Cullen could smell – Maker, could very nearly _taste_ – the heady mixture of Aqua Magus and Antivan Sip-Sip on her breath. He cleared his throat slightly.

"Anything?" He raised a curious eyebrow.

"Anything." She assured him.

"You know, there was this Nevarri I caught speeding down the road the other day. Think it's a new model," Cullen trailed off mischievously.

"Realistically speaking." Evelyn amended. "Please, Cullen. It'll be fun."

Cullen sighed, but his mind whirred. It _would_ be an interesting experience, definitely, and Maker knows when his last date was. He doesn't, for he can't remember, and he hoped that he was not making the wrong decision by telling her _yes_.


	2. Chapter 2

"Is using online dating websites considered cheating?" Cullen looked up from his laptop from where he had been surfing the net. Evelyn was lying opposite him, her laptop against his, and she wasn't paying attention, instead glued to a game. Both lay uncurled on the wooden floor of her apartment, which was, at least for Cullen, thankfully free of any mess in a 2-metre radius about him.

"No." The sound of steel ringing against steel and the guttural growl of a man echoed through the tiny apartment. With a grimace on her face, she smashed several keys on the keyboard, and her mouse swerved wildly.

"Evie. This was your idea. I expected you to show more interest in it. I already have several items I want picked out, you know. Like ten 85-inch TVs. Or a bungalow near Lake Celestine. The Nevarri's still an option." A corner of his lips twitched up in a smile.

Evelyn slammed her laptop cover shut, the sound of fighting stopped, and her eyes were suddenly bright. "Ok. Let's make profiles. I'll create yours, and you'll create mine. Fair?" She sat up cross-legged on the floor, and her fingers absent-mindedly played with her messy braid slung over a shoulder.

"Are you going to write stupid stuff about me?"

"No, sweet Maker, who do you think I am?" Evelyn gave him a look of mock hurt, and he laughed.

"Evie Trevelyan, _troublemaker._ We've been best friends for months. Don't think I don't know what you're up to."

Evelyn suppressed a grin, and scampered over to Cullen. She leant close as she hovered over his laptop. Cullen flushed at her nearness. It hadn't been like that before, he swore, but of late, whenever he was near her...

"Name: Cullen S. Rutherford. Sex: Yes please. Age: 30 but sometimes I look like a 45 year old when I frown and I happen to frown a lot, so 45. Interests: Working. Not sleeping enough. Not eating enough. Working." Evelyn's fingers clattered on the keyboard as she typed and said the words out loud, a big playful grin on her face.

"Maker's breath, Evie!" Cullen stared at the profile in astonishment.

"What? It's true."

"No. I don't want –"

"Sex?" Evelyn rolled her eyes.

" _No_ , Maker's breath! Let me fill yours up now."

"Fine."

Cullen clambered to her laptop and opened the screen. He keyed in her password as she leant over his shoulder, and browsed to the same profile site.

"Name: Evelyn Troublemaker Trevelyan. Sex: I love it. Age: 29 but secretly a childish 12 year old. Interests: None. I have no life."

"Sweet Maker, Cullen! And you said I'm evil?"

Cullen simply laughed, and he was suddenly aware of how close she was to him, of how close her chin was, nearly leaning on his shoulder. A wisp of her hair tickled him, made his ears red. He leant forward slightly to place some distance between them.

"We're even now." He said, eyeing her grey eyes with his brown ones.

"Even. I like that." She nodded appreciatively, and returned to her laptop; the sound of fighting continued as she resumed her game. Cullen kept his head low behind his laptop, eager to avoid any unintentional eye contact, as he tried desperately to ignore the churning in his stomach. He hoped, at least, that the slight blush on his face would not be too obvious.


	3. Chapter 3

"I've got a date tomorrow night."

" _What_." Evelyn sputtered, nearly coughing out her orange juice. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

Cullen chuckled, and leant over to pour a glass of juice for himself. Evelyn coughed as she sat back slightly and eyed him, having invited him over to her house for breakfast. The good thing about having a best friend that lived so near was having breakfast together nearly everyday, until her place was almost a second home for him. She knew Cullen preferred his home; he had always commented on how _messy_ and _unkempt_ her place was, but she had simply snorted and pointed out that she didn't drive, so it was obviously more convenient for him to come over, than for her to go there.

Her cheeks turned pink as her eyes travelled up his form, the loose v-neck sweatshirt hugging his muscled chest slightly, draping over his broad shoulders and crumpling into creases where it met his jeans. She swallowed as she looked away quickly, and spooned a generous helping of cereal into her mouth.

"You know Solona, right? Solona Amell back from Kinloch University."

"I remember." Evelyn said simply, and resisted the urge to snort. Solona Amell was his first love, and she suspected that Cullen had never really gotten over her after she transferred out. Long distance didn't really work out, and Cullen's an unusually private person, so she hadn't pressed.

"Well. She saw my profile, and she contacted me."

"I thought you guys haven't spoken in ages."

"Almost eleven years, actually. But she, uh, saw my profile on the dating site. And she's uh, asked me out on a date tomorrow night."

"Tomorrow night." Evelyn strangled out. "Maker, I thought you were so terrified of approaching her eleven years ago."

"Well, uh. Yea. But I think I'll be fine now." Cullen scratched the back of his neck.

"I'll take it you're counting it as part of your five dates?" Evelyn grinned.

"Of course. Can't pass up on the prize you'll owe me."

"Oh, don't say so, so soon." Evelyn raised her eyebrows coyly. "So, where are you guys going?" She crossed her arms on the table before her as she looked at Cullen, again.

He was blushing, his cheeks red, his eyes bright, and suddenly Evelyn felt her heartbeat accelerate. Felt _her_ face turn pink. She swallowed.

"I don't know, Evie. She said she's decided on a place actually. I just need to pick her up at her place."

Evelyn coughed loudly, and was suddenly glad she wasn't drinking any juice or eating any cereal.

" _What_."

"Evie, are you alright? You've been coughing a lot this morning." Cullen got up and stood next to her, placing a gentle hand on her back. He started patting her slowly.

"Cullen, I'm fine. I'm not a child." She turned away slightly, her heartbeat suddenly _very loud_ in her ear, her stomach churning.

"Okay." Cullen grinned and sat opposite her again, and began spooning cereal into his mouth. Evelyn watched him through long lashes. Watched him dip his spoon into the milk, watched him lift the spoon to his mouth, watched him eat his cereal. She swallowed.

Sweet Maker, what was _wrong_ with her?

* * *

After Cullen left, Evelyn logged on back to the dating website. Now, in the light and sobriety of the day, she can't fathom exactly _why_ she had suggested that ludicrous idea. It would be fun, sure, but the part about any prize? She suddenly wished she had taken that back.

She squirmed uncomfortably as she browsed through the profiles. She should be honest with herself; it wasn't really the idea of the prize she was worried about, but about how quickly Cullen had secured a first date. Knowing how he felt about Solona, she's certain he has the five dates with her in the bag. And if _she_ was the one who contacted him after all this while... Sweet Maker. Evelyn pinched the bridge of her nose and exhaled slowly.

She pushed back her chair and held the table, and shook her head. Clearing her mind, she continued browsing. She sent several invites out that morning.

Noon rolled around and she checked her mail; the good thing about being a freelance illustrator meant that she had her own schedule, and she loved it. Enjoyed waking up at 11 in the morning, and drawing at 3 in the dead of the night. Cullen always said that it was _unhealthy_ , that she should sleep by 11 so that her kidneys or liver – both weren't sure _which_ , exactly – could rest, but Cullen's a boring fart whose life revolved around work, so she's not likely to believe him.

There were two replies, and Evelyn perked up considerably. She hadn't seriously considered that she could meet a potential boyfriend by sending cold call-esque messages, but as she checked the replies she realised it _was_ painstakingly real, at least for somebody on the other side. Biting her lip slightly, Evelyn realised that the other person would probably take the date seriously, and that it was insulting for her to view it as plain _fun_ , or worse, as part of a dare.

As she fired off an affirmative reply to one of them, she realised that she felt strangely uncomfortable with the idea of Cullen meeting Solona again for the first time in eleven long years.


	4. Chapter 4

Cullen adjusted his tie as he looked at himself in the mirror. He cleared his throat as he locked eyes with his reflection.

"Hi, Solona. Long time no see.

"Good evening, Ms. Amell. I haven't seen you in some time.

"Oh, has it really been eleven years? I haven't realised.

"You look more beautiful than I remember – Oh, _Maker's breath_." He covered his face, now pink, with his hands. "You can do this. You can do this. It's not like you haven't spoken to her in eleven years. Oh, _damn it_."

Cullen exhaled as he clutched the sink with his hands, and closed his eyes. Finally he looked back up at himself in the mirror, convinced that he was ready. Dragging a comb through his hair again, he adjusted his tie again, grabbed his coat and car keys, and walked out the door.

* * *

The car ride to Solona's place took nearly half an hour, and Cullen was at least glad that it gave him some time to think. Not that eleven years hadn't been long enough, _no_ ; but he was surprised to discover that he had never really thought about her for close to a decade, until she had recently contacted him out of the blue.

Only then did his thoughts revolve around her once more, just like eleven long years ago. He stopped by the sidewalk one street down from her house to give himself time to prepare. He wasn't entirely sure what to expect, he reflected, as he examined his hair carefully in the rear view mirror. What would she do? Pounce on him? Act cold and distant?

Or maybe she'll just act like they are old friends and nothing more. Somehow, Cullen found that idea strangely appealing. It _had_ been eleven years after all, he thought, as he leant back against his seat. He had had more than enough time to think about their whirlwind relationship. He sighed, and his eyes travelled to the little fur charm hanging from the mirror, a product of one of Evelyn's numerous short-lived projects.

He smiled. Evelyn had a tendency of starting many projects, and never finishing any of them. After three weeks of trying to make jewellery (or whatever was popular online these days) she had lamented that her fingers were simply too stubby, and simply picked the best one she had made – the fur charm – and given it to him.

Her fingers aren't stubby, Cullen thought. They weren't exactly slim or slender like he remembered Solona's, but they were definitely not stubby. Soft, yes. He stopped himself. _Maker's breath_ , why in the world was he thinking of Evelyn's _fingers_?

He sighed, and pressed his fingers to his temple. He didn't want to think of anything else, so he stepped on the gas and continued down the street. As he pulled up to her house he saw Solona standing outside, in a cream dress and matching cardigan. She looked as beautiful as he remembered, and Cullen's breath hitched in his throat as he thought of all the permutations the date could go.

He touched the fur charm for good luck, opened the door, and stepped out.

"Cullen." Solona's soft lips turned up in a grin.

"Solona." He managed, as he held the passenger door open for her. She climbed into his car gracefully.

"It's been a long time." He almost whispered as he adjusted his rear view mirror.

"You still do that. The mirror thing." She laughed, loud in the silence of the car, and he chuckled.

"Yes. Habit. Road safety, you know." He didn't look at her; instead he kept his eyes on the road.

It was slightly awkward, Cullen thought, but as far as meeting your first girlfriend for the first time in eleven years went, all things considered, maybe it wasn't _that_ awkward. They exchanged the obligatory pleasantries and made small talk, neither wanting to bring up anything more. In a way, Cullen was relieved. He had always been a nervous wreck in front of her in the past, and he couldn't let her see him turn into a mess of a human being once more.

Partly also because he knew that if he did, she would think _he still liked her_. Which of course he didn't, he told himself quickly. He had no more feelings for Solona Amell…or did he?

He honestly wasn't sure, and he didn't really want to think about it. He pushed all discomfiting thoughts out of his mind. Tonight, they were just two individuals out on a date. Two individuals who happened to have a bit of romantic history, but Cullen wasn't going there. He promised himself to just enjoy the evening with her, come what may.

Solona had suggested going to Mabari Maison, an affordable but romantic restaurant. Evelyn would freak, Cullen smiled as he turned down the street. That girl was an absolute romantic, although she would never admit it.

In the alternating bands of light along the road, Cullen looked at Solona. She looked mature, older, her brown hair still kept short. Her deep brown eyes twinkled as she laughed, lilting like he remembered. The way her slim fingers curled around the strap of her handbag. The way she looked at him, the way she carried herself. She hadn't changed. But he wasn't sure whether he's still the same Cullen as he was eleven long years ago.

He parked in a lot near the sidewalk, and as he helped Solona out of his car, he realised maybe Evelyn's idea hadn't been so stupid. After all, he _had_ met Solona again, and Evelyn truly deserved to find a guy who could treat her well and shower her with flowers and affection and love.

Evelyn and him don't talk about love much, he reflected as he led Solona into the restaurant, vaguely aware that she had linked her arm around his, but what he _does_ know is that she's had one serious relationship before – with a man her father had introduced. How Cullen had bristled at that, when she had explained, but he supposed the rich and powerful work in different ways. Evelyn was the youngest, and definitely by no means the most successful, but Trevelyan blood was still Trevelyan blood, whatever that meant.

"I said, Cullen. Are you alright?" Solona's arm was still linked around his, heat from her arm traveling through his shirt to reach his skin.

"Y-yes." He stammered quickly, as he realised that the man at the counter was looking at him expectantly. "Seats for two, thank you."

They were led to a nice table by the window that had a view of the courtyard outside. Choosing what to eat wasn't difficult; the place was famous for Ferelden cuisine, after all, and despite having lived in Kirkwall for a period of time, Cullen was Fereldan through and through.

Solona was delightful to talk to; she filled him in with details of her life in the past eleven years, and Cullen did likewise. It felt easy talking to her, almost like an old friend, and Cullen was at least relieved he wasn't stammering and red-faced like last time. But he did have one, unanswered question.

"So, Solona, can I ask. What, exactly, made you contact me?"

"Actually I just came back here after spending quite a few years travelling for business. Then I remembered you." She tilted her head slightly in that way that he liked.

"Remembered...me?"

"Yes. Cullen, I was a fool to have broken up with you. I feel like I've been given a second chance." She blushed quickly as Cullen froze. "Oh, forgive me. I'm just, really curious how you've been."

"We broke up amicably." Cullen reminded her gently, and he suddenly felt like every single butterfly in Thedas was in his stomach. He felt uncomfortable.

"I know." Solona reached out to squeeze his hand gently. "We had little choice."

"Yes, we had little choice." He echoed. Two lovers, too young and stupid and afraid. Afraid to try, afraid to continue. He coughed slightly and averted his gaze.

Solona didn't seem to notice his discomfort, nor the sudden awkward silence. She spoke. "Forgive me if I sound forward, but, how's another date sound?"


End file.
